New Diet Additions

I’m not really a “supplement person”, but I went to a new doctor (referral from a friend) who is a holistic MD, Dr. Emily Lindner, in Chicago.

After going over several life/health areas, she concluded that my “allergy” symptoms could be a result of too much mold, which could be coming from the amount of fruit I eat every day. (I probably have 4 servings every morning.) That was a tough one. I really like fruit. And it’s very cleansing. But, as the doctor said, “Fruit is moldy.” Yes, it probably is. So, in this area, I’m sticking with my morning smoothie, to which I now add green leafy vegetables (such as spinach, kale, collard, chard, etc.). There is still a lot of fruit in the smoothie. But I don’t eat any additional fruit. (I snack on either vegetables or nuts between the early morning smoothie and lunch.)

Meanwhile, Dr. Lindner added a few supplements. First, more oils. Udos oils, actually. I’m taking 2 T per day (stirred into the smoothie) + 3 Udos capsules. Also, about 1 or 2 teaspoons of coconut oil, melted in 1/2 cup hot water (which I pour into the smoothie — that contains frozen fruit, so it’s not too warm!).

Next, she added 4000 IU of vitamin D3. (Interesting.)  And a B12 complex.  I was already taking a supplement (my one, original supplement) that is designed to strengthen the thyroid, Thyrostim. 

On my own, I added a fish oil from a fish called Krill, and the variety is the Neptune Krill.

The most interesting outcome so far is that my nails have grown, all at the same time, and seem really strong. That’s a bonus.  I still sneeze, though. We’ll have to see how the allergies are over the winter.

For my actual diet, still no meat (of course), a lot of vegetables, and no (or very little) wheat, dairy, & sugar. A lot of raw food.

Kale Salad – Make Kale Taste Good!

The trick with kale is to massage the leaves with a dressing (such as a combination of olive oil & lemon juice) so that the leaves get more tender.

Lacinato kale tastes better to me than curly kale. However, at some times of the year, the lacinato kale leaves are really small. At those time, I purchase the curly kale.

Here is a recipe for a kale salad that makes the kale taste better:

• 1 bunch of kale (lacinato or curly)
• olive oil
• lemon juice
• Celtic sea salt

1. Rinse the kale thoroughly.
2. Remove the stem from each kale leaf.
3. Cut the kale into 1 to 2 inch pieces and place the cut leaves in a large bowl.
4. If you have a lot of kale, use about 2 tablespoons olive oil and about 1 tablespoon lemon juice (cut those amounts in half if you don’t have a lot of kale). Sprinkle the olive oil and lemon juice over the leaves.
5. Massage the oil and juice into the leaves. Really work it in — almost like you’re kneading bread.
6. Sprinkle Celtic sea salt over the leaves and toss again. (About 1/2 t. for a large amount; 1/4 t. for a smaller amount.)
7. Add any other ingredients you want:  For example, slice up your favorite olives and add to the salad. Slice your favorite color of bell pepper and add to the salad. Add a handful of nuts, such as pine nuts.
8. If you refrigerate the salad in a closed container, before you serve it later, shake the container to redistribute the dressing.

That was the “healthy” part of the blog! Now comes the “wealthy”!

My book is coming out at the beginning of February, 2009. “Catapult Your Business to New Heights: Sure-Fire Strategies to Increase Profit” is a book for entrepreneurs (and those who would like to be) who want to take their business to the next level of profit. The principles are practically taught, and each chapter includes an Application section where you apply what you learned in the chapter directly to your own business.

You can get a fr’ee chapter from my website by going to the home page (click here) and clicking the link that is below the video.

The book is available for purchase from my website on the “Programs & Products” page (click here & scroll down on that page) or from Amazon.com (click here).

An e-book version is also available from my website on the “Programs & Products” page (click here & scroll down on that page).

January 2009 is “Transition Month”

This is “transition month”….removing all dairy, wheat, & sugar that creeped in during the holidays.

By the end of the month, I hope to “back on track”

Foods and Habits that Prevent Cancer

It’s “breast cancer awareness month” (October 2008) and there are all kinds of ads in print and online regarding cancer awareness.

An entire coupon book devoted to cancer awareness appeared in the newspaper, filled with pink text and food that is supposed to be healthy for you. But is it?

But what I found in the coupon book is the following:

• Canned soups filled with salt
• Boxed pasta dinner kits
• Cheese covered frozen broccoli
• A kit you can use to help your hamburger (also filled with salt)
• Refrigerated white flour rolls and biscuits
• Refrigerated cookie dough
• Microwave popcorn
• Fruit roll-ups
• Bars filled with sugar
• Snack mixes (take a guess what is in it!)

These foods do not fight cancer! These foods do not help your body usher “bad” cells out of your body.

Since I’m writing this when the weather is getting colder, I’ll just focus on one food:  soup.

Even though I’m a busy business woman, I make my own soup. That’s right. No canned stuff for me. (I’ll admit that once in a while I purchase certain soup stocks made by certain companies.) But nothing beats making my own stocks and soups. I know what is in them! I control the amount of salt in these soups.

I’ll share a recipe for a soup stock that you can make ahead and freeze. Then I’ll share a soup recipes (that also freeze well).

Vegetable Soup Stock

• 1 large onion
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery stalks (keep the leaves on them)
• 1 bunch scallions (green onions), including 1/2 of the greens
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1 T. olive oil
• 8 to 10 parsley sprigs
• 6 sprigs of thyme (or 1/2 t. dried)
• 8 to 10 cups cold, filtered water
• 2 t. salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 T. olive oil

Wash the vegetables and chop the onion, carrots, celery, and scallions into 1-inch pieces. Heat the olive oil in a very large pot (I use a soup pot). After the oil is heated (but not smoking), add the onion, carrots, celery, scallions, garlic, parsley, and thyme. Cook over high heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. You want the green vegetables to get brighter green. Add the water, salt, and bay leaves. Bring the water to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. After it’s simmered, strain out the vegetables. You can either use the stock right away in another recipe, refrigerate for a day or two before using, or freeze it.

 

Italian Lentil Soup

• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced into circles
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 T. olive oil
• 7 to 8 cups water
• 1/2 small head of cabbage, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
• 1 cup dry lentils, rinsed & drained
• 1 large can diced tomatoes (this is one veggie I’ll buy canned)
• 1 1/2 t. salt (I use Celtic Sea Salt)
• 1/2 t. dried oregano
• 1/2 t. pepper

In a dutch oven (or a soup pot), heat the olive oil and cook the carrots, celery, and onion for 5 minutes. Stir in the water, cabbage, lentils, tomatoes, salt, oregano, and pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce the heat. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until the lentils are soft.

 

Wheatberry & White Bean Soup

If you want, you can use 8 cups of the Soup Stock from the earlier recipe to replace the following in this recipe:  rosemary, garlic, water, parsley, thyme, bay leaf

• 1 1/2 cups dried navy beans (about 3/4 pound)
• 1 1/4 cups uncooked wheat berries (I buy these at Whole Foods in the bulk section)
• 1 t. salt, divided
• 1 T. olive oil
• 2 cups diced onion (c/b 1 or 2 onions, depending on the size)
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1/2 diced carrot
• 1 t. dried rosemary
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 cups water
• 4 parsley sprigs
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 t. pepper
• 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 bag spinach, washed & chopped

1. Sort and wash the navy beans; place them in a large bowl. Cover with water to 2 inches above the beans; cover for about 8 hours (or overnight). Drain.
2. Place the wheat berries in a medium bowl; cover with water to 2 inches above. Cover and let stand 8 hours (or overnight). Drain. Place the wheat berries in a large saucepan. Cover with 2 inches water above. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes. Stir in 1/2 t. sale; cook 20 minutes; drain.
3. While the wheat berries are cooking, heat oil in a Dutch over (or soup pot) over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots, rosemary, and garlic; cook 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the beans, 8 cups water, parsley sprigs, thyme springs, and bay leaf. Partially cover, and cook 1 1/2 hours or until the beans are tender.
4. Discard the bay leaf, parsley, and thyme. Stir in the wheat berries, 1/2 t. salt, 1/4 t. pepper, tomatoes, and spinach. Cook for 5 minutes or until thoroughly heater.
5. If you’d like, garnish with chopped parsley.

 

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

This is a favorite of mine. I’ve never seen or tasted another recipe for butternut squash soup that I like better. There are several ingredients in this soup that, when put together, make it taste as good as it does. Also, while the squash is raw, you only need to cut it in half. It’s roasted in two large pieces ahead of time. After it’s cooked, you scoop it out. (Other recipes I’ve found for this soup have you cut the entire raw squash into cubes while it’s still raw. Are you kidding? Cutting a raw squash into cubes takes too long. I don’t have that kind of time!)

Also, if you freeze this soup, after you thaw it out, put it into the blender on “low” for a few seconds to get it to blend together. (It’s not pretty after it thaws.)

• 1 medium butternut squash (about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds)
• 1 T. veg oil or olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 chopped shallot
• 1 T. chopped fresh ginger
• 1/2 fresh jalapeno, seeded & chopped
• 1 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. black pepper
• 2 ripe pears, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks (about 2 cups)
• 6 cups veg. broth
• 1 T. honey
• 1/2 t. dried thyme
• optional: 1/4 cup soy milk

1. Either one day ahead or earlier in the day, you’ll roast the squash. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and place the cut side down on a non-stick baking sheet that has “sides.”  Pour about 1/2 cup water in the pan. Roast for 45 minutes (check the water level periodically and add more water if needed). Remove and allow the squash to cool.
2. Remove the seeds and the peel from the squash. Place the cooked squash in a medium size bowl and mash it coarsely.
3. In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat the oil; then add the onion, shallot, ginger, jalapeno, salt, and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat until the onion is soft and begins to turn light brown, about 10 minutes.
4. Add the pears, and cook another 5 minutes
5. Measure 3 cups of the cooked, mashed squash; add it to the pot.
6. Stir in the broth, honey, and thyme, and bring it to a boil.
7. After it boils, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes
8. Puree the soup in batches in a blender. (No more than half a blender full at a time.) Then return the soup to the pot. Stir in the soy milk (optional) and keep the soup warm. (Do not boil it again.)

Raw Nuts: Good Tasting and Good for You

Nuts are one of those foods I didn’t like as a child.

Then I grew up.

I’ve found many raw food chefs who’ve shown me ways to bring nuts into my diet in a healthy, delicious way.

If any of you saw a segment of an “Oprah” show a while back when Dr. Oz was on the show, you heard him say that raw nuts are healthier to eat than cooked nuts. When nuts are cooked at a high heat, certain factors change inside of the nut, making the fats susceptible to damage from the heat, which can form free radicals.

As for raw nuts, they are more nutritious after they’ve been soaked in a bowl of water for an hour or more (depending on how hard or soft the nut is to start). Soaking the nuts makes the enzymes in them “work better” in your body when you eat them.

So, where can you purchase raw nuts? Whole Foods has many raw nuts for sale. You can also find them online. Click here to check out one source. I’ve tried many kinds (but I still want to try raw macadamia nuts!).

You can use the raw soaked nuts “as they are” in salads. I put several kinds in a bag with some raisins and a little Celtic Sea Salt. They can also form a delicious crust for desserts. Check out a raw “cookbook” by Jennifer Cornbleet by clicking here. Her recipes in this book are easy (they don’t require a dehydrator).

If you own an ice cream maker, you can also make raw “ice cream,” which uses a raw cashew base. You can find recipes online.  Click here for a recipe for raw chocolate ice cream. (I had to cut it in half to fit my ice cream maker. Also, 300 ml of liquid is 1 1/4 cups; 600 ml. of liquid is 2 1/2 cups).  And click here for a raw vanilla ice cream. (For this recipe, it is a little “raisin-y” for me. I am going to try it again with dates instead of raisins.)  If you have a regular blender, soak the cashews first for about 30 minutes.

One of my favorite “seeds” are the little green, raw (shelled) pumpkin seeds. I like these with a blend of other nuts or in a salad. They have a nice texture and a nice crunch.

One more thing: Store nuts in your refrigerator! (I store mine in the refrigerator drawer that is marked “meat” where most people store sandwich meat.)

Add some raw nuts and seeds to your diet. These are “good” fats when eaten in moderation.

Healthy Beginnings — How Did I Get Started?

I began my “healthy life” journey after watching several family members from the previous two generations develop diseases and conditions that lead to early deaths. My own father had his first stroke at the age of 53 (right after I started college) and died at the age of 57. (As I look back at my college years, they were the most stressful four consecutive years of my life.)

While I was fairly healthy myself, I began to question the food I put into my body, starting with the unhealthy junk food I ate as a child. (You know — the processed goodies that are “fortified with vitamins”??) I had some very minor health issues in my 30′s, but maintained a good weight for my height. I exercised and ate a carnivorous diet, plus I have a sweet tooth. Still, I was concerned about those long-term health issues I believed would come to plague me as they had plagued my relatives.

My “a-ha!” moment came when I read Marilu Henner’s book, Total Health Makeover. This book gave me the information I needed to change my diet over 3 months.  From there, I read Harvey & Marilyn Diamond’s book, Fit for Life, which gave me even more tools and information to change my diet lifestyle. And from there, I joined the National Health Association, which continues to provide me with incredible information about food, health, and lifestyle choices.

Getting back to the first book, besides being easy and fun to read, the changes Marilu suggests based on her own health journey are really easy to incorporate into a new healthy lifestyle. Because this book really started me on a new course, I hope to meet Marilu Henner some day to personally thank her for writing a book that changed my life. I would say that I am now the healthiest person in my family. Most people think that my younger brothers are my older brothers (and I expect to out-live them both!). Sorry, guys!

The first thing I changed in my diet was to eat fruit all morning. For years I had wondered how people ate four servings of fruit all day. This is how! Fruit doesn’t “stay with you” for long, so you need to eat more about an hour or so later. Most mornings, I start off with a smoothie (see the recipes in the previous blog below). If I’m going to a client for the day, I actually bring fruit with me:  strawberries in a Tupperware container, a peach, an apple, a mango… whatever! After the smoothie, I expect to each about two or three more servings of fruit before lunch. As long as you eat fruit alone (i.e. don’t eat it after eggs & toast), you won’t feel that “I just ate too much fruit” feeling.

Fruit only takes 20 or 30 minutes to digest. (Most other food takes 1 to 2 hours to digest.) Fruit wants to “finish up & get moving” through your system, so it’s best to not mix eating fruit with a lot of other types of food, and not as dessert (unless you’re eating a small amount of, say, berries for dessert after a meal that wasn’t too large).

At the time I started eating fruit all morning, I also stopped eating meat and increased the amount of vegetables I ate and lunch and dinner. I slowly cut back on dairy (that has been the hardest thing for me to eliminate from my diet).

So, what was my initial success in changing my diet, following reading Marilu’s book? About 2 or 3 months into it, let’s just say my body was “cleaning house” a lot better than for years before.  That means prior to changing my diet, a lot of waste was just in my body or coming out through my skin (which is another way our bodies get rid of waste).

I’ve been on a healthy eating course since autumn of 1998. When I’m at the grocery store, most of the items in my cart are fresh produce. I eat very little processed food. My body heals from injury fairly quickly. And I rarely get sick.

So, Marilu Henner, if you’re ever back in Chicago, I’d like to meet you and thank you for taking the time to write a book that changed my life for the better!

~ Glory Borgeson

Smoothie Recipes

A blog that has “healthy” in its name and (currently) displays a smoothie in the header has to have a few smoothie recipes. Here, I’ll share “easy” recipes, and then add ingredients to make these drinks more nutritious.

Easy Smoothies

This is quick to make in the morning. If you make it early, you can drink it while you get ready for work. Or, you can pour it in a take-along cup, such as the type that Tupperware makes. (Click here or here to see examples of a couple great cups Tupperware makes — they work well with smoothies.)

• 1 cup of juice (apple, orange, any juice you like — it must be real juice, not sugar-water!)
• 1 banana
• about 1/2 cup of any other fruit

The “any other fruit” can be berries, pear or peach (leave the skin on, remove the seeds/pit, slice up a bit), pineapple, mango (skin & pit removed), etc.  Also (and this is a great time-saver), I purchase bags of frozen fruit at the regular grocery store and use that fruit (strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, peaches, and mango are sold frozen in bags at the store where I shop). If you like frozen fruit in your smoothie, then use it frozen. Sometimes that’s too cold for me, so I’ll microwave some frozen fruit in a bowl until it’s just cold but no longer frozen; and I’ll put that in the blender.

Put all of these ingredients in a blender w/lid, and blend on high for several seconds (until it’s fully blended).

As you can see, I don’t add any protein powders or dairy to my smoothies.

Now, let’s change it up a little bit.

• Instead of using a fresh banana, freeze bananas ahead of time and use a frozen banana in the smoothie. (Oddly, this type of frozen fruit in my smoothie is not too cold for me.)  Peel a banana, break it into 3 pieces, place all 3 pieces into a quart-size plastic freezer bag, and toss the bag into the freezer.
• Buy fresh ginger at the grocery store in the produce section. Slice a little bit off, peel it, and cut it into little pieces. For one smoothie, 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon is a good amount. Toss that into the blender with your regular smoothie ingredients. (Store the fresh ginger by wrapping first in a piece of paper towel [tightly], and then wrap again in plastic wrap [tightly]. Store in the refrigerator.)
• If you use different fruits from day to day, it will taste different every day and you won’t get bored with it.

 

A More Nutritious Smoothie

One ingredient that is missing from many vegetarians’ diets is omega 3 essential fatty acid. An easy, inexpensive way to bring that into your diet is through flaxseed. Purchase flaxseed in bulk from stores such as Whole Foods, or, if no local stores sell it, purchase it online (search for flaxseed). Purchase the whole seed, not ground. (Once the seeds are ground, they start to lose their potency. In their own hull, they can last a long time.) You can easily add flaxseed to your smoothie.

The trick is to add 1 tablespoon (no more than 2 tablespoons per day!) to the blender, by themselves (dry!), put the lid on the blender, and blend for a few seconds until the seeds are ground up.

Then place the rest of your smoothie ingredients into the blender, put the lid back on, and blend everything together.

You can either purchase the golden flaxseed or the brown flaxseed. They have the same nutritional content.

Click here for the great article by Jeff Novick (who wrote it for the National Health Association) about flaxseed. This is one of the best articles I’ve read on the topic.

Another ingredient you can add to make the smoothie more nutritious is a superfood green powder. It doesn’t necessarly change the taste, but it does change the color of the drink! (If your smoothie is ‘strawberry’ red or pink, and you add the green powder, the drink will turn gray/brown.) Meanwhile, if that doesn’t bother you (!), you can add 1 tablespoon of green powder to your smoothie.

I like Karyn’s Green Meal powder. Karyn’s is in Chicago, but they probably do mail order. (Click here for Karyn’s page where she sells product on www.karynraw.com.)  Another green powder I like is Garden of Life’s Super Green Formula. (Click here to see the products.) Garden of Life is sold at retail outlets such as Whole Foods and Fruitful Yield.)

A Little Bit Business, A Little Bit Personal

I usually write only about business topics, for either entrepreneurs or executives. This blog will be a little bit business and a little bit personal, incorporating my interests in healthful living and a few other passions as well. (Thus, the “smoothie” picture on this blog — one of my healthy morning habits.) It won’t be surprising if whatever I write about spills over to business, though!

In business writing, coaching, and speaking, one of my topics is Personal Branding (also known as self branding in some circles). This is the concept by which a person “brands themself” for business, either for the corporate world or for their own entrepreneurial ventures. There are many aspects to personal branding. See my website at www.BorgesonConsulting.com on the “Programs & Products” page for more information about Personal Branding and how my “Brand Yourself!” self-paced coaching program can help you develop your personal brand into a successful brand that serves you profitably for years!

My upcoming book, “Catapult Your Business to New Heights: Sure-Fire Strategies to Increase Profit,” is due out (probably) fourth quarter 2008. This book is for business owners who want to send their business profits soaring, without a lot of undue stress! I am very excited about this book and plan to offer a corresponding coaching program to entrepreneurs who want more individualized consulting to quickly move their business, their ownership skills, and their profits to a new level.

I also coach corporate executives who are in the first two years of a new position. Typically, this includes directors and vice presidents of companies of many sizes. I enjoy working with this group of motivated men and women.

See? I’m writing about business again! But I will use this blog for more personal types of writing, especially health-related writing regarding ‘what has worked for me’ over the last 10 years. I will provide links to some of my favorite sources of information and products!